TAAI needs Editor-in-Chief, “Agriculture for Development”

With the planned retirement of the current Editor-in-Chief (Dr Paul Harding), at the end of 2019, an opportunity has arisen for a new volunteer Editor-in-Chief of Agriculture for Development, the journal of the Tropical Agriculture Association.

Since he became Coordinating Editor/Editor-in-Chief in 2012, Paul and his team of Technical Editors have continued to improve the quality and impact of the journal.  Each issue now contains about 80 pages, including an editorial, 5-7 full articles, 2-3 News from the Field items, and 2-3 Newsflashes, as well as regular TAAI features such as Bookstack (book reviews), Mailbox (letters to the editor), International Agricultural Research News, TAAI Forum, News from the Regions, Institutional Members’ Page, TAAF News, Obituaries, and Upcoming Events.   Every other issue is a special issue on a relevant theme, usually compiled with the help of an international expert as guest editor.
A recently negotiated contract with GreenInk (https://www.greenink.co.uk/) has considerably reduced the workload of the Editor-in-Chief and the technical editors, and has resulted in a full colour journal.  Arrangements are also in place to launch an exciting new design for the journal. GreenInk now undertake the copy editing and laying-out the proofs, and much of the proof-reading, printing, binding and distributing the journal.

The role of the volunteer Editor-in-Chief is now to

  • plan the outline contents of the next three or four issues ahead;
  • encourage and commission articles and other contributions (in collaboration with guest editors);
  • receive contributions for the journal;
  • contribute to, and coordinate, their technical review by the technical editors;
  • interact with GreenInk;
  • contribute to and coordinate the final proof-reading; and
  • provide GreenInk with mailing lists and details of multiple-copy recipients.

The Editor-in-Chief also Chairs the (virtual) Publications and Communications Committee, and is a member of the TAAI Executive Committee (which meets three or four times a year).

Members interested in taking on this important role should contact the current Editor-in-Chief in the first instance.